In times past, when a grandmother soothes a crying baby, she does it, not with a lullaby, but with words that speak of lineage, destiny, and greatness. This is called Oríkì—a Yòrùbá tradition of praise poetry that has found new life on cinema screens across Nigeria and beyond.

Oríkì represents far more than mere words of praise. It's rooted in the belief that "Orí" (head or destiny) combined with "Kì" (to praise) creates a "eulogy of the head," this ancient art form connects individuals to their deepest sense of identity and purpose. In Yòrùbá cosmology, the head houses one's destiny, making Oríkì a spiritual conversation with fate itself.

What makes this story particularly interesting is how Yòrùbá filmmakers have transformed this oral tradition into a visual language, breathing new life into an art form that was slowly fading from everyday use. Through cinema, they've created a bridge between generations, ensuring that the wisdom embedded in these praise poems continues to resonate in our digital age.

The article offers a glimpse to Yoruba-language cinema, which has evolved from a rich oral and theatrical heritage, to emerge as a dynamic canvas for visualizing Oríkì, the Yòrùbá praise poetry.

The Roots of Oríkì Traditions

Traditional Oríkì takes many forms, each serving a different purpose in Yòrùbá society. Oríkì Ìlú celebrates towns and cities, creating invisible bonds among people sharing geographical roots. When someone from Ibadan hears their city's praise poem, they're instantly connected to everyone who calls that place home, regardless of where life has taken them.

Family lineages have their own Oríkì Orílé, verses that recount ancestral exploits and preserve family history. Oríkì Orílé aren't just genealogical records—they're living narratives that children absorb, understanding their place in an unbroken chain of generations.

For individuals, especially prominent figures, there's Oríkì Ìnagijiẹ—highly personalized praise that captures everything from physical attributes to character traits and achievements. For warriors, they have their Oríkì Akínkanjú. Rulers have their Oríkì Oba, and even the gods receive their due through Oríkì Òrìsà.

Traditionally performed through chants, songs, or the rhythmic talking drum (Ílu gángan), Oríkì served multiple functions. Beyond praise, it acted as a "data bank" for Yòrùbá culture, preserving history, teaching lessons, and sometimes offering gentle (or not-so-gentle) social criticism. A skilled praise singer could highlight someone's flaws as diplomatically as their virtues, using euphemism and satire to encourage personal growth.

However, modern challenges threaten this rich tradition. The influence of foreign languages, widespread Westernization, and changing religious perspectives have contributed to Oríkì's decline. Many young Yòrùbá people now anglicize their names and view traditional practices as outdated. This cultural erosion represents not just the loss of words, but the weakening of communal bonds that Oríkì helped strengthen.

From Village Square to Silver Screen

The journey of Yòrùbá cinema from oral tradition to film represents a fascinating evolution rather than a complete transformation. Long before cameras existed, Yòrùbá communities engaged in elaborate oral dramas, rituals, and festivals featuring songs, dances, and chants. These performances possessed an inherent "w" that would later translate beautifully to film.

The Yòrùbá Traveling Theatre emerged in the early 1940s as a bridge between ancient traditions and modern entertainment. Pioneers like Hubert Ogunde, Kola Ogunmola, and Duro Ladipo created touring companies that combined mime, vibrant costumes, traditional drumming, and folklore. Initially drawing from biblical narratives, these performances gradually evolved to address Nigerian themes and political commentary, establishing conventions that would later influence cinematic storytelling.

The transition to film happened naturally. Post-independence cinema (1960s-1980s) directly adopted the storytelling styles of traveling theatre, featuring ritualized gestures and highly dramatized plots exploring religion, witchcraft, and the supernatural. When economic constraints made video production cheaper than celluloid in the 1990s, the industry exploded, creating what we now know as Nollywood.

This economic pragmatism inadvertently became cultural preservation. The ability to produce films cheaply meant more stories could be told, providing new platforms for oral traditions like Oríkì. The "New Nollywood" era of the 2010s brought higher production values while maintaining this commitment to cultural storytelling.

What's remarkable is that Yòrùbá cinema didn't abandon its oral roots—it embraced them. The medium's inherent "orality" means that integrating genres like Oríkì isn't forced adaptation but natural evolution. Filmmakers aren't imposing external elements; they're drawing from the same cultural well that has always fed Yòrùbá artistic expression.

Bringing Oríkì to Life on Screen

Contemporary Yòrùbá films demonstrate sophisticated integration of Oríkì, using it for multiple narrative purposes. As a characterization tool, Oríkì reveals lineage, personal attributes, and historical background, grounding characters within broader cultural contexts. Instead of lengthy exposition, a character's Oríkì can instantly communicate their identity and social position.

For plot development, Oríkì functions as a narrative catalyst. Characters might invoke someone's praise poetry to seek favors, or filmmakers might use it to drive historical flashbacks that advance the story. The tradition's role as a "data bank" of cultural information makes it perfect for providing context without disrupting narrative flow.

The visual translation of Oríkì requires creativity and cultural sensitivity. Filmmakers employ various techniques to capture its essence:

Performance and dramaturgy showcase Oríkì through direct performances—chants and songs accompanied by talking drums, mirroring traditional contexts. The visual elements—gestures, facial expressions, interactions between performer and recipient—become integral to the cinematic experience.

Cinematographic choices enhance the portrayal through strategic camera work. Close-ups capture emotional responses to praise, while point-of-view shots immerse audiences in the performance. Composition frames these moments carefully, and editing reflects the rhythm and intensity of the chants.

Different directors take varying approaches. Adebayo Faleti's Bashorun Gaa relies heavily on dialogue and verbal exposition, staying close to oral tradition. In contrast, Bolanle Austen-Peters' House of Gaa uses dynamic cinematography and visual spectacle, showing rather than telling the story of power and tyranny.

Symbolic imagery translates Oríkì's rich metaphors into visual symbols. Just as traditional Yòrùbá mural art derives images from praise poems of deities and kings, filmmakers create visual representations of the descriptive language found in Oríkì.

The concept of the "praise gaze"—where traditional performers direct their attention at the addressee—finds new expression through strategic camera work. POV shots and close-ups on recipients' faces replicate this traditional interaction, making audiences vicarious participants in the praise.

Cinema as Cultural Guide

Several films demonstrate Oríkì's successful integration into contemporary storytelling. Tunde Kelani's Saworoide (1999) and Agogo Eewo (2002) use praise poetry for towns, rulers, and deities, integrating chants, songs, and drumbeats into narratives that establish traditional authority while offering political commentary on governance.

Both versions of the Bashorun Gaa story—Faleti's dialogue-heavy 2004 version and Austen-Peters' visually dynamic 2024 adaptation—demonstrate different approaches to incorporating individual and ruler praise poetry. While Faleti emphasizes verbal exposition echoing panegyric style, Austen-Peters uses visual spectacle to complement or contrast the verbal elements.

These films serve multiple functions beyond entertainment. They act as cultural transmission vehicles, connecting contemporary Yòrùbá people to their heritage. By showcasing Oríkì alongside other oral traditions, they reinforce individual and collective identity while reaching new audiences through accessible modern platforms.

 The didactic function remains strong—films leverage Oríkì's entertainment value to convey moral lessons and social commentary, maintaining the tradition's role as both praise and gentle correction.

Adaptation in the Digital Age

Despite traditional challenges, Oríkì demonstrates remarkable adaptability. Commercial praise-singing has evolved into modern "hype performance" in popular culture, particularly in music and social gatherings. This economic adaptation ensures continued practice, even in transformed contexts.

Digital platforms have sparked an Oríkì resurgence among urban Yòrùbá youth, while politicians employ praise singers to connect with voters through lineage praise. These developments show that Oríkì continues to serve social and political functions in contemporary life.

Yòrùbá cinema plays a crucial role in this cultural evolution. Films provide contemporary platforms for Oríkì, exposing it to younger generations and global audiences beyond traditional confines. This reach is particularly important given that traditional Oríkì is often associated with older generations.

The integration of Oríkì into films with cultural education objectives positions cinema as a critical cultural bridge, connecting traditional oral knowledge with modern consumption patterns. This ensures that the philosophical and historical content of Oríkì remains relevant in an increasingly globalized world.

The Living Legacy

The story of Oríkì in Yòrùbá cinema represents more than cultural preservation—it embodies active cultural pedagogy and intergenerational knowledge transfer. Rather than treating tradition as a museum piece, filmmakers reimagine it as a living, breathing element of contemporary storytelling.

This transformation from oral tradition to cinematic element demonstrates the adaptive nature of Yòrùbá culture, where ancient practices aren't merely preserved but actively reinterpreted and revitalized. As digital platforms and new media continue evolving, Oríkì will likely find further avenues for expression, ensuring its enduring legacy through diverse and innovative forms.

The journey of Oríkì from village squares to cinema screens reminds us that true cultural preservation isn't about freezing traditions in time—it's about allowing them to grow, adapt, and find new voices while maintaining their essential spirit. In Yòrùbá cinema, praise poetry has found not just survival, but renewal, speaking to new generations in the universal language of story and image.

Through this cinematic transformation, Oríkì continues fulfilling its original purpose: connecting people to their identity, celebrating their heritage, and building bridges between past and future. The old words live on, finding fresh meaning in each frame, each scene, each moment where traditional wisdom meets contemporary expression.

References

• Barber, Karin. “The Interpretation of Oriki.” In I Could Speak Until Tomorrow. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/i-could-speak-until-tomorrow/oriki-of-origin/C007BFEF82B1A4215EBB55AE9AFB6205.
• Carter-Ényì, Amanda. “Lulu fun won: Oriki in Contemporary Culture.” Ethnomusicology 61, no. 3 (Fall 2017): 397-425. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322564726_Lulu_fun_won_Oriki_in_Contemporary_Culture.
• Daily Trust. “Oriki (Yòrùbá Praise Name) on Verge of Extinction.” August 21, 2023. https://dailytrust.com/oriki-Yòrùbá-praise-name-on-verge-of-extinction/
• Discovery Yòrùbá. “The Power of Oriki: How Praise Names Shape Identity.” Accessed May 15, 2024. https://discoverYòrùbá.com/power-of-oriki-how-praise-names-shape-identity/
• Odunife. “Oriki.” Accessed May 15, 2024. https://www.odunife.com/oriki
• Oloyede, Tobi. “Oriki Soki (Individual Praise Poetry).” Tobi Oloyede’s Blog, August 19, 2020. https://tobioloyedesblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/19/oriki-sokiindividual-praise-poetry/
• Olugbenga, Adeyemi. “Yòrùbá Nollywood Movies and the Cultivation of Socio-Cultural Values.” Journal of Pan African Studies 10, no. 2 (2017): 180-192. https://www.jpanafrican.org/docs/vol10no2/10.2-4-Olugbenga.pdf
• Yòrùbá Lessons. “Oriki.” September 7, 2022. https://Yòrùbálessons.com/2022/09/07/oriki/

Films

• Agogo Eewo. Directed by Tunde Kelani. Mainframe Film and Television Productions, 2002. 
• Bashorun Gaa. Directed by Adebayo Faleti. Adebayo Faleti Films, 2004.
• House of Gaa. Directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters. Terra Kulture Studios, 2024. 
• Saworoide. Directed by Tunde Kelani. Mainframe Film and Television Productions, 1999.

‍